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02/03/2009

How do extreme social conservatives feel about new RNC chairman Michael Steele and his potential to undermine their far-right agenda? Well here's what FRC's Tony Perkins told Matt Barber on today's "Liberty Live":

Oh those pesky east coasters and their more moderate outlooks. It really would be a shame for the GOP to learn a little thing like inclusion, wouldn't it?

Only problem, at least in terms of marriage equality? While Michael Steele has indicated a willingness to reach out to gays, he's been far from our friend on marriage. In fact, his past views would quite easily fall in the Perkins-pleasing boat. So it's not like the GOP has hired a Log Cabin Republican who will advocate for gay marriage -- it's just that with so much ground being lost and so much progressive writing on the wall, the homo-hostile "pro-fams" are scared of any little move towards the center (or towards the east coast, it seems). Why? Because their movement is up against the sort of terminal irrelevance that progress can bring, and that's a scary prospect for those who have carved a career out of demoralizing gay/progressive values!

So yes, we will all be watching Michael Steele and the GOP. And if Michael Steele and his party are smart, they will be watching and speaking to more than just those who define Republican values as existing only within a southern Baptist church.

Your thoughts

Their worry is not that Steele is liberal in any way (he's not). Rather, they worry that he is welcoming and supportive of those Republicans that are.

And while some will spin this as 'he just wants moderates to vote for conservatives', Steele's activism in the Committee for Responsible Government suggests that he supports the election and advancement of those who disagree with him on social issues. In other words, for the first time in quite a while, socially moderate candidates may find themselves supported by the national Party.